Electrically-controlled valve.



R. T. JONES. ELEGTEICALLY CONTROLLED VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 29, 1910.

993,072. Patented May 23, 1911.

I mnnmlllllllll w 66 2g 7 RICHARD '1. JONES, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

ELEGTRICALLY-GONTBOLLED VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 23, 1911.

Application filed July as, 1910. Serial No. 574,448.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD T. J ONES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrically-Controlled Valves, of

p which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an electricallycontrolled valve and has-for its object to provide an improved construction of device for eflectually maintaining a valve electrically in a given position and to insure its prompt release and movement to the other position by gravity.

The invention is especially designed to control the passage of a fluid under pressure and has an improved construction whereby the fluid under pressure will aid in moving the valve upon its release.

With these and other objects in view the accompanying drawing illustrates the invention in which,

Figure. 1 shows the improved device in side elevation. Fig. 2, is a lan view of the same, and Fig. 3 is a vertica sectional detail through the valve casing to show the shape of the valve plu therein.

Referring to t e drawing, 1, designates a fluid supply pipe; 2, a bracket at the upper end thereof and, 3, a valve casing screwed onto or otherwise attached to the supply pipe and having a chamber, 4, therein to receive the plugivalve, 5. The casing, see Fig. 3, has a partition, 6, extending laterally therein from the wall and at the rear side of the-entrance from the fluid supply pipe, 1, and is also provided with an outlet, 7, therefrom that has, in the present instance, a right an led position with respect to the sald supp y pipe.

The valve, 5, has a shape longitudinally conforming to the shape of the casing and in cross-section through the center said valve has a body portion with a circular exterior, 8, atone side and a chamber, 9, at the diametrically opposite side. This chamber, 9, receives the laterally-extending partition, 6, of the valve casing and in order to prevent the fluid pressure passing from the front to the rear side of the partition the valve has a rounded central portion, 10,

which seats against a correspondinglyshaped recess, 11, in the inner edge of the partition as clearly illustrated in Fig. 3. It will also be noted that the normal position of the valve in the casing is such as to out 01f communication between the supply pipe, 1, and the outlet pipe, 7,-the circular portion, 8, of the valve being shown lapped over and covering the outlet, 7 The chamber, 9, in the valve is formed by slotting the valve across its circumference but in producing said slot the walls, 12, and, 13, at opposite sides thereof incline somewhat from opposite sides of the central rounded por tion, 10, and do not extend at right angles with respect to each other. There is an advantage in this construction of walls for it will be seen that the wall, 12, has position in the valve chamber, 4, between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet so that the fluid under pressure from pipe, 1, will always act .on the wall, 12, and tend to throw or rotate the valve toward the open position,the partition, 6, preventing said fluid under pressure from acting on wall, 13, to counteract the tendency of the valve to rotate. By

this means the pressure of the fluid will aid in moving the valve when the latter is released as will presently be described.

A vent, 14, is provided in the valve casing at the rear side of the artition, 6, and between the latter and t e wall, 13, of the valve whereby to permit the escape of air from the space between thoseparts when the valve moves to the open position and also to admit air into said space when the valve is moved to the closed position.

The valve, 5, has a stem, 15, that projects through the end of the casing and which carries, what might be termed a bell-crank lever, 16. One arm, 17, of this lever extends upwardly in an inclined osition and can .ries a weight, 18, that is a' justably movable screw, 21, extends horizontally from the pipe and has its outer end curved laterally to one side so as to pass around the free end of the arm, 19. This bracket carries an upwardly-extending support or arm, 22, at its curved end which sustains one or more electro-magnets, 23.

An armature trip, 24:, is pivoted at, 25, to the support, 22, and has a hook, 26, at its lower end below the pivot and above the pivot said armature curves forwardly so that its weighted free end, 27, which carries a plate, 28, may have position at the ends of the cores, 29, of said magnets. In practice it has been found that by placing the magnets in a slightly inclined position, as shown in Fig. l, and inclining the armature, 24, so itsfree end, 27 may project over the top of the magnet cores, all probability of the armature jarring loose or breaking awa from the magnets is overcome. It will be seen, by reference to Fig. 1, that the hook, 26, at the lower end of the armature has position where it may readily engage the free end of the arm, 19, of the bell-crank lever, 16, so as to hold said arm in a horizontal position and thereby maintain the valve, 5, in the normal cut-0H position so long as the electro-magnets remain energized and hold the armature against its cores. When the magnets are deenergized by an interruption in the circuit in any of the well known ways, the armature will fall to the position shown in broken lines where it will be held by the stop pin, 30, and consequently the hook, 26, will move away from the free end of the arm, 19,'thus leaving said arm unsupported so that it may drop. In order to insure that arm, 19, will drop the rounded portion of the armature will strike against the upper side thereof and the fluid pressure will act on the wall 12, of the valve so that a positive operation is insured. Obviously when the arm, 17, does drop the valve, 5, will rotate in the casing and communication between supply pipe, 1, and outlet, 7, will be established for any purpose whatever. It is also obvious that as the position of the weight, 18, on the arm, 17, is to one side of the center of gravity upon the release of arm, 19, by hook, 26, the said weight will aid in rotating the valve to the open position.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,

1. In an electrically-controlled fluid-pressure valve the combination with a valve casing having a fluid pressure inlet and a fluid pressure outlet, of a valve in said casing having a stem projecting to the exterior of the latter; an arm extending laterally from the valve stem; an electro-magnet, and an armature pivotally sustained adjacent the said arm and engaging the same and curving upwardly therefrom and the free end of said armature having position normally against the core of said magnet and movable in a vertical plane directly over the arm whereby the armature when released will move in the same vertical plane as the free end of the arm.

2. In an electrically-controlled fluid-pressure valve the combination with a valve casing having a fluid pressure inlet and a fluid pressure outlet, of a valve in said casing having a stem projecting to the exterior of the latter; an arm extending laterally from the valve stem; a support sustained adjacent the free end of the arm; an electro-magnet sustained in an inclined position from said support and an armature pivoted to the support adjacent the arm and engaging the latter,said armature having a free end that curves upwardly in an inclined position over the core of the magnet and the curved portion of the armature having position in a vertical plane directly over the free end of the arm.

3. In an electrically-controlled fluid-pressure valve the combination with a valve casing having a fluid pressure inlet and an outlet and also having a partition therein and at one side of said inlet, of a valve in the casing having a chamber into which the partition of the valve casing projects,-said valve chamber communicating with the fluid pressure inlet and the valve also having a stem that projects to the exterior of the easing; an arm extending laterally from the valve stem; an electro-magnet and an armature pivotally sustained adjacent the arm and normally engaging the latter,--said armature being held normally by said magnet.

4. In an electrically-controlled fluid-pressure valve the combination with a valve casing having a fluid pressure inlet and an outlet and also having a partition extending inwardly toward the center of the casing, of a valve in the casing having a chamber into which the partition of the valve easing projects,-said chamber at one side of the partition being in communication with the fluid-pressure lnlet and the valve also having a stem that projects to the exterior of the casing; an arm carried by the stem; an armature for engaging said arm and an electro-magnet to attract and normally hold the armature.

5. In an electrically-controlled fluidpressure valve the combination with a valve cas ing having a fluid pressure inlet and an outlet and also having a partition extending inwardly toward the center of the casing, of a valve in the casing having a chamber into which the partition of the valve casing projects,said chamber at one side of the partition being in communication with the fluid-pressure inlet and the valve also having a stem that projects to the exterior of the casing; a bell-crank lever on the outer I net for engaging the end of the armature end of the stem having two arms one of at the other side of the pivot. which is weighted and the other of which In testimony whereof I affix my'signature extends substantially horizontally; an armain presence of two witnesses.

5 ture pivotally sustained adjacent the free RICHARD T. JONES.

end of the horizontal arm and having a Witnesses: hook end at one side of its pivot toengage FELIX R. SULLIVAN,

the said horizontal arm and an electro-mag- G. FERDINAND Voo'r. 

